CHAPADA. - A prelature nullius of St Anne, suffragan of Cuyabá in the State of Matto Grosso, Brazil. It was created on 13 July 1940 by the bull Qui Christi fidelium.
Besides the mother church of St Anne, there are three other chapels. Over an area of approximately 140,000 sq km, the population is about 40,000, consisting of a settled indigenous population and temporary immigrants from every State of Brazil, drawn by the rich diamond-bearing zone.
The prelature is entrusted to the Franciscan Fathers. The Franciscan Sisters of Ausobie direct the boarding school of St Joseph, which also includes a free primary school.
BIBL.: J. B. Lehmann, O Brasil Católico, 1947, Juiz de Fora 1947, pp. 486-87. Enrico Josi